Chapter 70

The rumble of thunder rolled, and the heavy rain clouds hung low, creating a suffocating atmosphere that made breathing uncomfortable. It was morning, yet the sky was as dark as evening. The surroundings were a mess of mud, and the sound of raindrops hitting the grass echoed monotonously and drearily.

Rugger was struggling to untie the bag of dry rations tied to the horse, his mood growing increasingly irritable due to the stubborn knot.

Wiping the rain from his face, he frowned, took a deep breath, and suddenly drew his sword, slashing through the rope with a swift motion. This action seemed to vent the inexplicable frustration in his heart. After a deep sigh, he took out a piece of dried meat, chewed it slowly, and closed his eyes, trying to calm the turmoil in his mind.

It had been four hours since the morning incident. After escaping the pursuit of the wolf cavalry, the scout team, led by Rodi, had found the horses and supplies and moved several times before settling in this hidden location and setting up a makeshift camp.

The rain continued, and the soldiers were resting in the tents, recovering their strength. After giving the order to "rest and wait for further instructions," Rodi had gone into his tent alone and had not issued any other commands. Rugger, meanwhile, returned to his tent, sat in silence, and began absentmindedly polishing his sword after finishing the dried meat.

To be honest, although the morning had been a frustrating "escape," the lack of casualties and the accumulated battle results meant that the team's morale was not too low. There was still a sense of dissatisfaction, but Rugger was eager to confront the orcs in a real battle, even if it meant dying on the battlefield, he would do so willingly.

As a veteran who had experienced war, Rugger had many untold stories, for they brought him indescribable fear and torment. He thought he had forgotten those scenes over the years, but after today's escape, he found that those images he had tried to forget kept flashing before his eyes...

The chaotic hoofbeats, the muffled sounds of the wolf cavalry running, the panic of the scouts—over a decade ago, Rugger had also been chased by orcs on this very grassland. He had been running for his life, but the soldiers beside him were one by one caught in nets and cruelly killed by the orcs. In the end, he was the only one who managed to escape.

Don't run... Don't run... Don't run...

We've already killed over three hundred orcs, we've done enough. Now that we're being chased and no one has died, what's the point of running?

Can't run! If we keep running... I might never be able to hold this sword again.

Two conflicting voices echoed in his mind. Rugger pressed his lips tightly, staring ahead, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword until it turned white. Honestly, he didn't want to end this supposedly smooth operation in a state of escape.

The faces of his old comrades flashed through his mind again. Rugger closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suddenly stood up, braving the rain to walk toward Rodi's tent...

But before he had taken a few steps, he saw Soderlor and Carter standing in the rain. The three of them exchanged glances and, without asking each other, walked together toward Rodi's quiet tent.

They had expected to see Rodi's anxious face, waiting for a decision, but when they lifted the curtain of his tent, they were all taken aback by the scene before them.

Rodi, wearing only a single garment, was sitting cross-legged on the ground, with a sheepskin map in front of him. The light from the ring on his hand illuminated the rain-soaked paper, but Rodi's eyes were closed, and his fingers were tapping his knee rhythmically as he hummed a song that was incomprehensible to the others:

"I deeply love you,

But you love a fool,

The fool doesn't love you,

You are even more foolish than the fool."

Soderlor and the others didn't understand the Chinese lyrics, but they sensed a strangely relaxed mood in the song, which, combined with Rodi's expression and posture, made them feel as if they had been chased by the wolf cavalry, not the other way around...

Could Rodi be affected by the events?

"Commander, we..."

Carter broke the silence, but before he could finish, Rodi raised his hand to stop him.

The fingers tapping his knee suddenly stopped, and when Rodi opened his eyes, his entire demeanor seemed to change inexplicably—

"Carter, listen to my order."

The unfamiliar tone and expression were something Soderlor, Carter, and Rugger had never seen before. They thought they knew this capable commander, but now they felt an intangible pressure—they realized they had never truly understood Rodi.

"Yes!"

Carter swallowed hard. Rodi looked no different from usual, but his gaze had an indescribable intensity, almost like that of a madman.

"Today we were ambushed, and the morale is low, but this cannot continue—our soldiers' will cannot be broken. We have killed over three hundred of them, and we cannot be scared by a few kilometers of pursuit. Do you understand?"

The self-talk-like words made the three of them tense. This was a different Rodi, lacking the usual calmness but exuding madness and confidence.

"You, go out and tell them that those seventy wolf cavalry are not invincible. We don't need to fear them; we can win. Win, do you understand? Just like we did before, just like the three hundred orcs we killed. We can do it again. So go out and tell them one by one, encourage them, understood?"

"Yes... Yes! Understood!"

Carter hesitated for a moment but chose to trust Rodi, turned, and disappeared into the rain.

Rodi then turned his gaze to the two captains in front of him and continued with an authoritative tone: "Soderlor, Rugger, gather everyone in an hour."

He picked up the map, which was now unusable due to the water stains, and his eyes lingered on the only dry word, "Death Swamp." He took a deep breath, tore the sheepskin into pieces, and scattered them on the ground—

"Throw away all unnecessary supplies, take off your armor, discard your weapons... We are counterattacking Cossack Village."

Amidst the thunder, the stunned Soderlor and Rugger received this incomprehensible "combat order" just four hours after the escape.

...

By the afternoon, the rain in Cossack Village had gradually stopped.

The atmosphere in the village was now somber. The soldiers who had been living there were busy slaughtering cattle and sheep for food reserves, and the massive amount of fresh meat was being consumed to feed the voracious worgs and wolf cavalry.

This highlighted the "value" of the wolf cavalry. Training a qualified wolf cavalry was one thing, but the amount of meat these worgs consumed daily was far more expensive than the grass-fed warhorses.

As the rain gradually stopped, the shaman Sarota's face was particularly grim. The plan that was supposed to be a sure win had failed, and the frustration was palpable. The "Mass Bloodlust" spell, which he often used in tribal wars, had made the "Hammer of Rohar" orcs almost invincible in all battles over the past five years. However, this spell had failed to stop the group of humans, which left him feeling defeated.

He knew the weakness of the wolf cavalry, so he had set an ambush, but he hadn't expected the humans to detect it and retreat decisively. If they had been just a step slower, the outcome would have been very different.

Despite his frustration, Sarota decided to let the soldiers have a full meal and then return. He didn't expect the humans to return here in a fit of madness. Looking at the sky, he felt it was time to leave.

"Solon, take another route and go directly to inform Chief Rohar about everything that happened today. I will return to the village and wait for your return with the chief's new orders."

Picking up his staff, Sarota gave his student his task. The conflict with the "Bloodspear" tribe could be big or small, and with the information from his side, Chief Rohar would likely not continue to clash with Chief Sak. As he thought this, he noticed Solon's hesitant expression—

"Teacher, but—"

"I know you are frustrated, and so am I. The humans' cunning is beyond imagination, but they ultimately lack strength. I thought they would be true warriors, but they turned out to be like rats. This failure is on me. If I had charged with the team, they would not have escaped. But Solon, you understand that this complaint is just for you. A true warrior proves his strength through action."

Sarota did not make excuses for his failure. Solon gritted his teeth and nodded firmly, saying, "If I get the chance, I will cut off their heads and present them to you!"

"Ha, they should be presented to Chief Rohar, not me."

Although he said this, Sarota's eyes were filled with satisfaction. He waved his hand, signaling Solon to leave, and the latter immediately turned and rode his worg toward the tribal center.

However, Sarota did not know that after leaving the village, Solon's respectful and calm expression gradually disappeared, replaced by a lingering fear and tension.